Long distance relationships are tough and there are two sides to every story. No one knows that better than Jake Morgan and Madi Ryan. It’s not just about falling in love; it’s about staying together when everything in the world wants to tear you apart.

When Madi’s attacker is released on bail, Jake decides he’ll to everything in his power to protect the woman he loves, even if that means keeping secrets. Strange emails and photos appear on Madi’s computer, warning her that Jake is not what he seems. Madi’s faith in him begins to waver, especially when Jake becomes linked to beautiful actress, Allison Gregory. Although he promises there is nothing between them, outside forces push Madi’s trust in him to the breaking point.

Jake is willing to move heaven and earth to prove to Madi just how much she means to him. But when everything in their lives comes crashing down, will Madi be able to trust her heart or will she lose the only man she’s ever really loved?

Can two people stay together when one of them is always waiting to lose?

Within a few seconds, the need to talk returned and she dashed to find him. Just as she was about to turn the handle, Jake opened the door. They both stopped in surprise. There was something about the way he looked at her. In those brief seconds, he looked angry, frustrated and hot as hell. Before she knew what she was doing, she flew into his arms and locked her lips with his. He grabbed onto her and pushed his tongue into her mouth as his hands gripped her waist. His fingers rushed into her wet hair, releasing the bun. They moved backward with purpose, onto the bed, as Jake deftly stripped her of her jeans, shirt and bra. Before she knew it, she was under him and he was unzipping his jeans. He pushed her underwear to the side as he entered her, as if there wasn’t enough time to remove her panties before he had to have her. She moaned at the feel of him. She clenched her muscles around him as his mouth pressed against hers. He was fucking her and she wanted it. Sometimes, love was slow and deliberate. Other times, it just needed to be thrust into your veins like a drug through a needle—painful for a moment, but worth it for the ecstasy that followed.

A slow,
devious grin crept across her lips, and Jake desperately needed to know her
thoughts. “Mads, for the love of God, you need to tell me what’s going on in
that head of yours.”

“Didn’t I
just tell you that I wanted the steak?”

Jake’s mind
raced back to Madi, standing in red garter belts, drunk out of her mind in his
apartment in L.A. He remembered her telling him she’d always had the chicken
salad because it was safe. Back then she’d also said she wanted the steak. She
said he was the steak. “Are you hungry?” he asked, motioning toward the table.

Madi’s smile
widened as she glanced over his shoulder at the table of food. “That’s not the
steak I want.”

Jake closed
his eyes and smiled, shaking his head. He opened them suddenly when he felt her
fingers begin to unbutton his shirt. He followed her trembling hands with his
eyes as they deftly stripped his chest. Madi took a deep breath, and Jake
smirked as her eyes traveled the length of his torso. She flexed her hand over
his pecs before circling the nipples on his chest and running her fingers
through the small amount of hair there. She smiled and sucked in her lip as her
hand gently examined each one of his stomach muscles. That same electricity
they had between them before was present like another force in the room. Her
touch sent shivers through him, directly to his manhood.

“You are a
beautiful man, Jake Morgan.” She turned behind him, pulling his shirt down his
arms. She skimmed her fingers over him, kissing his shoulders.

“I assume
you’re satisfied with the cut of your steak?” he asked with a mischievous tone
as her hand reached around him and squeezed his stomach. Her tongue and lips
kissed the area between his shoulder blades. He could feel a smile in her kiss.
Jake closed his eyes and tried to remember to breathe. His mind went back to
the morning he awoke with her hand on his stomach. He remembered her saying how
tight it felt and how she had wanted to touch him. He also remembered her bare
legs wrapped in the covers. He felt a twitch in his pants. They were suddenly
becoming a little too tight.

He almost
said something, but he couldn’t focus on anything but the way her touch made
him feel. He’d denied himself her for so long. He silently promised himself
that he would never take a single kiss from her for granted. She continued to
press her lips to his back as her hands made their way down to his belt. She
quickly unfastened it, undid the button of his jeans, and gently pulled his
zipper down. Jake could feel the effect she was having on him and wondered how
long he’d be able to stand still. Her hand reached inside his boxer briefs and
found him. He couldn’t help the sharp intake of air that left his mouth at the
feel of her hands on him. She stood there for a few moments with her lips on
his back and her hands knowingly stroking him from behind, as if she could read
his inner thoughts and desires. Before he knew it, Madi turned and was on her
knees in front of him. “Jesus... Madi…” He could barely get her name out as he
panted.

“I… want…
the… steak. This piece of steak.”

Dawn L. Chiletz released her debut “The Contest” in October 2014. “Waiting to Lose” is her second novel in the Contest Series. She currently resides in Illinois with her husband, two boys and two dogs.

Fifteen
podcast hosts and authors share their favorite short story they've
ever written…

Spirits
by James A. Moore Two
strangers brought together by tragedy are haunted by ghosts of the
past. The
Tin Box by Kelli Owen After
the death of their grandma, siblings make a macabre discovery amongst
her belongings. Some secrets were meant to go to the grave... Short
Straw by Jay Wilburn After
drawing the short straw, the youngest son is delegated to wake every
year to monitor his sleeping family after an apocalypse forced them
into bunkers. But there’s something else out there…..with claws. The
Rag and Bone Man by John Urbancik The
Rag and Bone Man wanders—buying, selling, finding and collecting.
He always has what you need. He always finds what he wants. Or does
he have what you want and finds what he needs? The
Priest by Jaimie Engle A
fallen angel hopes to redeem himself and…